Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $12.04.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Vale in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $11.00 price objective (down previously from $12.00) on shares of Vale in a report on Thursday, April 17th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Vale in a report on Monday, May 12th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $11.30 price objective on the stock. Bank of America upgraded Vale from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $11.00 to $11.50 in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Vale from $10.50 to $9.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th.

Vale Price Performance

NYSE:VALE traded down $0.26 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $9.05. 64,676,119 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 31,529,066. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $41.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.76. Vale has a 1-year low of $8.06 and a 1-year high of $12.05. The firm's 50-day moving average is $9.45 and its 200-day moving average is $9.37.

Vale (NYSE:VALE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The basic materials company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.02). Vale had a net margin of 15.54% and a return on equity of 17.65%. The company had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.39 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Vale will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Vale by 206.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,877 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,938 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of Vale in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vale by 68.3% in the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares in the last quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Vale in the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Vale by 193.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,119 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 2,713 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.85% of the company's stock.

About Vale

Vale SA, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells iron ore and iron ore pellets for use as raw materials in steelmaking in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through Iron Solutions and Energy Transition Materials segments. The Iron Solutions segment produces and extracts iron ore and pellets, manganese, and other ferrous products; and provides related logistic services.